Tuesday 31 January 2017

A noticeably warmer night but it was a grey start and Derek warned us of forecasted rain – Jonah! We really don't have much planned for today except for some shopping so once we'd got the chores out of the way we drove the short distance to the Carrefour supermarket. Not as big as others we've used it still had everything we needed – and quite a bit that we did not, as usual. But when we stepped outside it was chucking it down, so a quick dash for the van and unload the cart without getting too wet. We then returned to the guardian parking for coffee.

Not long after we got back another Funster turned up and parked close by – his tiny, tiny dog gave him his handle of Wee Dugg. Wasn't even a mouthful for Jamie but could see him off!

Then there was really not a lot else to do for the rest of the day. The rain persisted well into early evening but then cleared leaving a cool pleasant night. Forecast is good for tomorrow, when we plan to walk into Essaouira.

We seem to have lost the rest of the group. We saw Keith and Steve drive past this morning before we went out, apparently heading for the supermarket, but they weren't there and we haven't seen them since. We do hope that the poor campsite hasn't put them off – the weather probably hasn't helped either of course.

Monday 30 January 2017

Dar Bouazza to Essaouira - 207 miles

Although we're not rushing, we tried to get the chores done a tad faster this morning as we had quite a long way to go. Steve/Christine and Keith/Sue got away a little before us but we were on the road in good time and headed for the N1 as it was pointless using the motorway, it only went as far as El Jadida – we thought!

Typical Moroccan main road, generally good 2-lane with the occasional rough spot and also two diversions where bridges were being rebuilt. This road passes through the villages and towns where the road can deteriorate quite badly; coupled with the dust, fumes and now quite warm sunshine it at times got a bit stifling. Added to this it was also market day in many of the towns so it was down to 10 mph picking our way through pedestrians, donkey carts, taxis, trucks, buses...........

But it's all part of the fun and we were never held up for long. We took a lunch break on a service road on the edge of one small town, only to realise we had done the same in exactly the same place northbound last year! We still had a long way to go so kept it short. Out of the towns the traffic was very light, save for the occasional fleet of suicidally driven buses racing each other to their next stop – we took a short pause for fuel to let them get away! But we did notice how everything was very green and agriculture seemed to have stepped up from what we remembered from last year and it wasn't until late in the day we started to encounter hamada, the dry desolate hills more typical of Morocco.

It was quite late as we approached Essaouira, noticing what looked like a bank of clouds on the hills overlooking the city. As we descended so we encountered thick mist which turned out to be a sea fret which had apparently formed mid-afternoon; it dissipated late evening however. We had been a little worried that because it was late afternoon the popular guardian parking would be crowded and we decided to forego the planned call at Carrefour; our fears were unfounded, however, as there was plenty of room and we settled in with a welcome cuppa. The two other vans had said they intended to go to the campsite just along the way; we saw Keith and Sue later and it turned out they were very unhappy about the site, facilities being “disgusting” and no electricity which was their main reason to go there.

This having been the longest we've driven for a while we spent a quiet evening which, although the skies cleared, turned out to be relatively warm.

Oh yes, the motorway. We saw lots of signs indicating a motorway which we not aware of but it turns out that the motorway has now been extended down to Safi with a toll of a reasonable Dh38. The others used it and said it had saved them a lot of time. Another reason for using up-to-date maps!

Sunday 29 January 2017

Lovely bright clear morning, warmed up very quickly so we could dispense with pullovers almost straight away. Three couples have arranged for a taxi to take them in to Casablanca to see the Grande Mosque; we've offered to look out for the dog and anyway got a bit of sorting out to do.

So after Full English Breakfast, which is now a firm fixture in our routine, set to, Bren organising some washing and Terry trying to sort out the battery problem. It didn't help that the battery on the tester was dead too, but got round it. Short answer, without getting bogged down by detail, he couldn't find anything wrong and both batteries, now they were fully recharged, performed as they should. Conclusion – we'd assumed that the solar panel was keeping up with our, admittedly heavier, use but there simply wasn't enough sunshine. We'll just carry on for now and monitor but it's no major problem, we can get a replacement battery almost anywhere.

Having had to empty the two main storage lockers to get at the batteries at least we were able to have a sort out and tidy up, giving us a bit more room. Then it was time for lunch, after which it was very much a potter about day, including an hour or so of sun-worshipping! Friends returned from Casablanca after enjoying an excellent, if not unexpensive, trip enthusing about the friendliness at the mosque, a traditional Moroccan lunch but then not so enthusiastic about Ricks Bar (from the film, Casablanca); now very upmarket and a bit snooty for want of a better word.

We're planning to move on further south tomorrow to Essaouira, another of our favourite places.

Saturday 28 January 2017

Last thing last night the leisure batteries failed – that is, we got a low voltage warning so quickly reduced the load and wondered why. We've not had an electricity connection here but thought the sunshine was enough to recharge via the solar panel; evidently not so there's something to sort out.

Moulay Bousselham to Dar Bouazza - 161 miles

Never mind, the sun was shining when we got up and making an effort to recharge so we'll worry about that later; we're moving on today so that should recover the batteries and our objective campsite has electrical hookup. So breakfast, pack away, service the van, pay the man (80 Dh per night) and on our way. It's quite a long way so head straight for the motorway, the tolls are not expensive and we'll save quite a bit of time and probably fuel too.

Quiet at first past Kenitra it slowly got busier approaching Rabat but this time we chose to stay on the motorway skirting the city, rather than face the extensive roadworks. Shortly after we paused at a service area for lunch – a motorcycle cop parked behind us, lit his cigarette then fell off his bike! He was a little embarrassed......

Mohammed VI bridge, motorway past Rabat

Next major city was Casablanca and our destination was some 15 miles south. We had programmed TomTom and this turned out to be a mistake as we ended up on the N1 which was like an inneer ring road – but currently suffering, and we mean suffering, from more major roadworks – imagine 3 lanes of motorway reduced to a dual carriageway then a roughly made service road supposed to be 2 lanes but with 3 other major roads trying to join it all over the space of half a mile! Horrendous, but the alternative was quite a long diversion towards Marrakesh then a series of small roads back to Dar Bouazza, our destination.

We managed to get through without incident although our friends had an “interesting” moment when, due to the angle of the roadway, they lost traction on their front wheel drive and had to force their way backwards to get a run at it! Never say Morocco isn't interesting.

We first used Camping International Oasis 2 years ago when it was a bit run down and we were the only vans on it. We called in last year homeward bound to find new management making a concerted effort to clean up and tidy the place – this year their efforts had borne fruit because there were quite a few vans parked up, although still plenty of room and we parked with the rest of our group on wide, level pitches with sunshine all day. And electricity!

Chairs out, kettle on and relax in warm sunshine – at last!

Friday 27 January 2017

It had started to rain early evening and the showers became heavier and more frequent until sometime during the night we were wakened to a full-blown thunderstorm. The rain showers persisted well into the day, although their frequency lessened until it finally dried up after lunch. However what was noticeable was the increase in temperature despite a fresh breeze.

Good thing, then, that we had not planned to do much today and so apart from the usual domesticities not much was done. Jamie wasn't keen on sitting around though so a few perambulations, dodging the showers kept him happy. Terry even managed an hour soaking up some sun before it started to cool down and a bit of packing away ready for the morrow.

Time to move further south and the weather forecast is looking much better – hope so!

Thursday 26 January 2017

Despite there being no rush we were up earlyish to a cold but bright sunshiny morning, which quickly warmed up. We're not planning anything in particular and after breakfast Terry bought bread for lunch whilst Bren sorted out some washing – do it while we can! Terry also managed to wash the van after it got decidedly mucky passing through a flood yesterday. Coffee with the Copesticks rounded off a relaxing morning.

Quite a few people left during the morning and, probably due to the vagaries of the campsite Moroccan electrical system, a couple of the electricity points became live. Well the tester said they were live but we didn't actually get anything out of them, probably due to the 50 metre cable run causing too much voltage drop. Never mind, the solar panel had already charged up the batteries, so put the cables away again and have lunch.

The sunshine went a bit hazy and we heard a weather report saying a weak front was coming through but we went for a walk up to the village anyway and indeed the cloud did thicken and lower. Back to a cuppa and it looked quite threatening so a bit of tidying up, get the washing in and sure enough it started to rain. But as we write it seems to have cleared and is getting brighter.

A general discussion with the two newbie couples as to what to do next; like us they're looking for warm too but are happy not to rush so that they don't miss some of the sights. So we're probably going to move on as a group to a site just south of Casablanca and maybe take a taxi in to the city, primarily to view the Grande Mosque which we are told is a must-see. But not until Saturday at least.

Late afternoon the two younger couples turned up so for now we're all together again.

Wednesday 25 January 2017

Assilah to Moulay Bousselham - 58 miles

Yet another beautiful, if cool, morning after a peaceful night – we both slept better than we have done over the last week or so. We're in no rush today so after breakfast etc. we spent some time on the beach with Jamie whilst some of the others walked into the town for a look-see. The group is splitting up here, the two younger couples staying a further night before heading south to do their own thing, whilst us other four “oldies” are moving on.

So around mid-day we departed Assilah to head for a nice quiet campsite about an hour and a half away on the coast at Moulay Bousselhem where we've stayed before. Just to give the newbies some experience of the real Morocco we avoided the motorway and took the ordinary roads, which generally were fine although we did encounter the odd rough spot and pothole as well as a flooded road under a bridge – some van washing needed over the next couple of days! We also passed through a couple of villages and the larger town of Laroche before driving on fairly minor roads through quite intensive agricultural activity before reaching our destination.

Arriving at the campsite the guardian tried to put us together on quite a nice spot but it lacked sunshine, which is what we wanted so we told him we'd find our own and book in with him shortly. Having been here before we knew there were some good places and as it was not busy we had a good choice. The only problem was that the electricity, which has always been hit and miss here, was definitely miss and only one of us managed to get a working hookup, after some moving around. We've got solar panels so as long as we can get the sun we're okay – the elctric may come back on, who knows?

So set up, a late lunch then do what we came for – relax in the sun...........

Tuesday 24 January 2017

Algeciras to Assilah - 61 miles

Up at 6.15 and it's still dark although traffic on the main road is busy. A quick breakfast then convoy the group to the port which is only 10 minutes. Check in opened at 8.00 and, as assured, provided me with individual tickets for each van, although I'm glad I had the forethought to make a list of registrations and names, it was much appreciated.

Through a couple of police checks and a short wait on the quayside before being loaded onto quite a small ferry; there didn't seem to be many vehicles to load and only a handful of foot passengers. Once aboard we got into the line for police control and the ship departed only 7 minutes late, which is on-time for Spain! Once passports were stamped we adjourned to the cafe to enjoy a very pleasant smooth crossing.

Arrived on time then disembarked and drove to the Customs & Immigration checks. As expected our group were put together whilst they cleared everybody else first but as the ferry had been almost empty it didn't take long. Usual courteous and efficient bureaocracy but no unexpected problems and we were passed through then to the bureaux de change where we all obtained our initial currency. There are four different agencies and they all tout for your business, but the rate is the same for all of them! We usually go for the one that doesn't have a tout!

The plan was now to head to an overnight stop about an hour away, pausing to refuel at the first service area so we joined the excellent motorway just outside the port entrance, taking our time because one of the party was an older classic motorhome and not quite as sprightly as the rest! Refuelled and stopping only to pay the toll, we continued on through bright sunshine to the town of Assilah, on the Atlantic coast south of Tangiers, where we parked up on the guardian parking site on the northern edge of the town.

Guardian parking is basically a parking area for motorhomes, sometimes on some spare land, a carpark or even a disused campsite, which is loked after by a few locals who provide security, waste disposal and often other services too, all for a very modest fee. The GP at Assilah has been improved since we were here last with more room, resurfaced and a cafe/restaurant set up on the entrance. Bit more expensive too but £4 is reasonable and we got all six of our party parked up by 12.30. Time for some lunch and then walk up to Maroc Telecom to get datasims for internet access.

Morocco is now almost all mobile phones, there being few long distance land lines, and so internet via the mobile phone systems is easy, fast and very cheap. We had to return later as they were suffering a technical problem but we were taken in hand by the local manager who was very helpful, extremely knowledgable and managed to sort us all out even though we each probably had different needs.

For a group meal we thought we'd give the cafe/restaurant a try and pre-ordered typical Moroccan meals for around 7.00 pm, forgetting that by then it was dark and not very warm but, hey ho, a warm jacket and woolly hat made do. Shame really then that the meal wasn't up to much but for around £3 per head we couldn't complain and enjoyed the experience. But everyone was soon back in their vans for warming drinks!

Grupo Terry - somewhat chilly meal at Assilah

We can now relax because we've achieved our objective and got our group all set up ready for their tours of Morocco.

Monday 23 January 2017

Up early so we can get ready for 10.30 departure – we have a couple of things to do before going to Algeciras to meet up with the group, which we have arranged between 12.00 and 13.00. Another bright sunny cloudless day, cold at first but warming up quickly. We managed our getaway after settling the bill on time.

First job, replace the Spanish gas bottle. Derek knew of a place we could get Cepsa propane on our way so we headed there, but on the way we spotted a Cepsa garage with a gas delivery truck parked. The garage only had butane but the driver was quite happy to sell a bottle of propane off his truck – job done!

Next get the refillable gas bottles, erm, refilled. Not so many of these places in Spain but we knew of one about 5 mins past our destination so headed to Los Barrios, found the gas station and another job done and now return to Palemones where we were to meet the group. Two vans already there but the parking had now been moved about 100 metres and which we were later told had been built especially for Viages Normandie, the ticket agent “Carlos”. Derek & June, who had other errands to run, turned up shortly after but then a phone call from the Hungarian couple, who were at the port with the Dutch couple, trying to sort out a problem with pet export. This puzzled us somewhat so Terry went to see Carlos but we were assured all we needed was the rabies certificate, which we of course had. We thought it maybe was because of different nationality rules but it was apparently sorted out and they joined us a little later.

A brief chat then, after lunch, Terry collected all the paperwork and took it to the office where he confirmed what ferry we wanted and left it with them. Then into Carrefour to do a big shop of items we needed, including stuff we couldn't get in Morocco – like beer and pork! Back to the van for a cuppa then it was time to return to Carlos' and collect the tickets etc. Slightly worried that we were given a Group ticket covering 6 vans and 12 people but were assured that at the port we would be given separate documentation for each. Paid, with a good discount for being a group, we were also given a goody bag with a bottle of wine and a large piece of cake for each van.

Return to the group and distribute the gifts while briefing each couple for the morning then back to Bertie for some tea and an early night. 6.15 start tomorrow!

Sunday 22 January 2017

Another bright warm sunny day although still cool out of the sun. Sunday so Full English Breakfast!

Today has just been a mess around day, getting ready for meeting up with the other Funsters and crossing  to Morocco. Numbers have been up and down but have settled on 6, which is a nice number to look after. The ticket agent has confirmed all okay and we've had some good reports from Funsters already there. So relax while we can because tomorrow there will be  a lot of running around!

Saturday 21 January 2017

Although we weren't up late it seemed to take ages to get anything done today, mainly due to chatting with neighbours. Eventually after breakfast Bren got some washing done while Terry cleaned out the inside, all ready for the trip across.

After lunch more messing about but Terry finally got organised and sent off the list of names to Voyages Normandie – we're now seven including two brand new Funster couples, one from Hungary and one from Nederland.

Finally we've got some nice weather with warm sunshine all day, although it is cool in the shade and more so at night. We've had reports of heavy rain from Marrakesh to Essaouira but hopefully it will have dissipated by the time we get there. It was probably the rubbish that has been dogging us all the way down from the UK.

Friday 20th January 2017

Rincon de la Victoria to Estepona - 87 miles

The wind dropped overnight and the skies cleared to make it quite cold, although we didn't need the heating on. Jamie sick yet again – think it maybe his bedtime treats so we'll try cutting them out. Our plan today is to continue on to Estepona and try to get onto the ACSI campsite there for a few days so we can catch up with everything ready to cross to Morocco. We also need to exchange our Spanish gas bottle.

Derek and June were away first, they've got a couple of things to do before Estepona, but we weren't far behind them on a lovely sunny morning. It was our idea to stay on the coast road so we could look for a gas station but somehow we ended up, firstly on the ordinary motorway then trying to get back onto the coast road where we were struggling with town centres etc. only to find ourselves rejoining the motorway. Another attempt and a missed turn and we were on the toll motorway heading in, not exactly the wrong direction but not the way we wanted to go. €2.80 later saw us on the coast road then the A7 again. Stuff it, we could be going backward and forward for ages and a 1 ½ hour trip had already taken 2 hrs and we were nowhere near our destination.

As it happens the campsite is literally just off the A7 so we stuck to it but could not find a gas station for our particular brand, Cepsa. We thought we had changed the bottle last year quite close to the campsite so decided to continue on into Estepona but that too found us wandering the back streets until a bit of slick navigation got us onto the coast road back. Then we spotted a Cepsa station, only to find they had no propane and would not accept our bottle for butane which would have been okay. We'll go onto the internet later; meanwhile to the campsite.

We'd stayed on Parque Tropicale before and found Derek and June had arrived shortly before us. It was very busy and we were lucky to get one of the last 3 pitches still free, not in an ideal position vis-a-vis the sunshine but almost next to our friends – we'll sit in their sun! We of course had ACSI cards but they were good enough to give Derek and June the same rate.

So settle in, lunch and spend the afternoon sorting out and generally catching up. As the sun went down it got cool again; the lady on the next pitch thought we might get frost tonight!

Thursday 19 January 2017

Vera to near Malaga - 184 miles

The rain abated and the wind dropped but it was still cold and grey, and the rain had left the surface of sand covered with gravel very soft – one van almost got stuck getting off his pitch. But we had no problem and after our usual routine and stopping off to pay our dues we headed out, being directed to go out via the entrance as the exit road was too muddy.

Our only plan today was to get some serious miles in so we wound our way back to the A7, set the cruise control and enjoy the scenery with gradually improving weather. We don't use motorways normally but as we had travelled the alternative before and found it very good but very tortuous, we needed to get on. We were now entering an area of intensive under-cover cultivation with thousands of square acres of plastic, looking just like the sea – or a lot of snow!

It's plastic greenhouses!

Hilltop castle at Salabrena

After a couple of hours we needed to refuel so turned off the main road at Salabrena, with its hilltop castle, and found a fuel station. We had also wanted to stop for lunch but there was nowhere suitable and after taking the coast road for a while decided it was a waste of time and jumped back onto the A7. Bren spotted a service point on Nellie, just off the motorway at Nerja, so we turned off, only to find it was just a service point on a very crowded garage forecourt. However we found parking on a service road outside Lidl, just down the road, so stopped for a bite.

Back up to the motorway and, almost unbelievably, there were our friends Derk and June at the top of the off slip road – we couldn't have planned it any better and the odds on this happening must be astronomical! So back to Lidl for a quick chat then we led off to find an aire about half an hour away. They had driven down from north of Madrid this morning, through heavy snow showers, so didn't want to travel much further, which suited us too.

Unfortunately it was full; no matter there's another a few miles further on – which was full too! A Brit told us he had seen some wildcampers along the road to Malaga with some space left so we thought we'd go and have a look. Basically it is parking on a bit of spare land for the beach but there was already about 15 vans there and we just managed to squeeze into a couple of spots still vacant. This should be okay for one night, although we are quite close to the road, so cuppas, a chat then tea.

We have agreed that we'll head to Estepona, where we met up last year, a full facility site and hopefully stop 3 nights so we can get properly sorted before heading off to Algeciras and Morocco.

Wednesday 18 January 2017

Benidorm to Vera - 169 miles 

More rain during the latter part of the night, disturbed again by Jamie, but by getting up time it had stopped although it was still grey, damp and cold. Breakfast, packed up and serviced we just had to call in at reception to see how much electricity we'd used – a lot more than we expected but whilst I have an inbuilt distrust of metering systems we had used it for heating quite a lot. The lesson is, gas is MUCH cheaper than electricity so unless it's included in the site fee in future, we'll use gas only for our heating needs.

Isn't it interesting how folk are very happy to stop and chat just as you are leaving, but completely ignore you for the four days you've been on site?

Once on the road, our target was south towards Almeria but first we needed a supermarket. Found a Carrefour at Elche where supplies were refurbished. Once we'd finished it was lunchtime so stayed in the car park. We have to be a bit careful with some of these car parks because many of them have covered spaces, far too low for us and they stick out, especially at the row end where there is a danger of causing quite serious damage to Bertie.

Away around 2.30 pm and it was raining. Joined the A7 autovia and the rain started turning to snow, despite the road not climbing at all, eventually becoming quite heavy. Fortunately the gritters had been out so the road surface was only wet and we were not really slowed down much. Past Murcia the road up to Granada had been closed to trux by the police so it's obviously much worse there. Very shortly after it turned back to rain thank goodness.

It was obvious we were not going to make Almeria today so we paused at a service station to check the maps. We spotted an aire about half an hour away which looked fine, at Vera, so set TomTom and headed off. However the driving instructions seemed to be at odds with the satnav so we followed them instead and found them to be spot on. TomTom would have had us on the wrong side of the motorway. The site is actually quite close to the A7 (it overlooks it) but it is a fairly circuitous route, driving through lots of, well, nothing – until of course we met a lorry almost blocking the road. Just managed to squeeze past and found the aire on the side and top of a hill. Modern, clean with all facilities including electric (in with the price!) and free wifi, all for €9 which we thought very good. We later noticed, however that we didn't get many amps, the fridge kept cutting out, so we went onto gas for heating.

Commercial aire at Vera Tennis Club

So now we're settled for the evening; thinking it had stopped raining Terry took Jamie out for his evening walk – to find it was actually snowing instead! Not much, and very wet, this could be interesting tomorrow especially getting back down the hill!

Tuesday 17 January 2017

Jamie had us up at 7.00 am being sick – not surprised as he didn't eat his tea until we went to bed last night. Took him outside and it was dry and quite warm, but not long after it started to rain -we'd gone back to bed! Just as well we hadn't any plans, although we had wanted to finish drying the washing, which ended up strewn about the van.

Then as the cloud started to lift we realised it had been snowing – the tops of the mountains nearly all around us were white! And yes, it had gone really cold. So apart from a quick trip across to the local caravan accessory shop and the site supermarket for bread, we stayed indoors – well apart from taking his lordship out periodically and to service the van.

Sun came out later but it didn't get much warmer and there were threatening clouds all around for the rest of the day. Of course it's those mountains that protect Benidorm and give it it's unique micro-climate. So just a bit of planning, reading etc. to get us through the day. We're moving on tomorrow so showers etc. later.

Really a boring day, not really worth posting a blog but it at least it keeps a record.

Monday 16 January 2017

Very sorry to have to report to all our UK followers – the sun was shining again!

Today we've decided to visit Benidorm so after breakfast we packed rucksacks and headed off down (it's always downhill to the beach!) to the town, joining the promenade at Benidorms Playa de Levante, 2km of golden sands from which Jamie, to his disgust, was banned!

We've decided to call Benidorm the mobility scooter capital of Europe – there are hundreds of them including some tandem 2-seater types! But at least there's plenty of room for them plus the myriads of (now) happy-faced pensioners enjoying their morning constitutional. We did notice a lot of police cars and bikes patrolling; I shouldn't think they have much to do at this time of year although unhappily, of course, it's more likely to have to do with heightened security against terrorism.

La Playa de Levante

Not much left of the castle

We walked the length of the prom as far as the old castle, or where it was, there being little evidence now except for four cannon in La Placa de Castell on the headland which bisects the Benidorm sea front. The return trip was planned along Avd Mediterranea, which parallels the sea front but we didn't stick to it as in parts it was in the shade and there was still quite a cool wind blowing.

The other (south) beach

Our thoughts were to have some lunch in town but having the dog limited us a little. There were plenty of cafe/bars open with sea front tables but none appealed to us. Surprisingly there were no take-away type places open – they were there but obviously closed “for the season”. No matter, we just continued our stroll and slowly (and even more slowly!) wandered back to the site. It must have been a little too much for Jamie because at one point he just lay down and refused to go any further. Mind you, there were two others in our party who felt a little like that..........!

Eventually we got back to Bertie for long cold drinks and a late lunch, after which Bren staggered up to the laundry with a weeks wash – we were going to do it first thing but were beaten to it. Then relax for the rest of the day.

We must admit that Benidorm, in the winter sun, is very nice evidenced by the hoards of old folk who stay here long-term, although it doesn't really appeal to us. But we would definitely steer well clear in the summer!

Sunday 15 January 2017

Yet another bright sunny start which was nice until the sun moved round behind the tree so not as warm as we'd like plus the breeze is still from the north and cold. Never mind, it's Sunday so Full English Breakfast was enjoyed. Later Bren got her hair cut by an English lady who does it for a bit of pocket money, nice job too.

After lunch (well nearer mid-afternoon because things take oh so long to do when you're on holiday) took Jamie for a walk to explore the immediate area; we intend to go down into the town proper tomorrow, it's about 1km. We found the other campsites but having the dog with us there was no point in looking for our friends today; plenty of time later.

Tucked up in our little corner, under a tree.

Returned to a nice cuppa, commenting on the number of miserable faces we had encountered – what's the point of over-wintering out here if you're going to be miserable? It's almost depressing and just reinforces our feeling that really this kind of place is not for us.

Saturday 14 January 2017

Tavernes to Benidorm - 57 miles

We had hoped that, despite being pitched next to a tall hedge, we would have had some early morning sun but it came up a little too late and so it was cool when we got up. Nevertheless another lovely morning and once the routine was completed we departed, delayed a short while by a Frenchie blocking the exit whilst he dumped his tanks – not his fault, just a poorly located drain i.e. in the gateway!

Paused outside to see if there was any response to our request for campsite info on the MotorhomeFun forum, which there was so we had something to go on. Our plan was to drive down to Benidorm and try to get onto the same campsite as other Funsters; unfortunately the main one does not accept dogs so we'd asked for alternative suggestions.

Although we'd got Nellie set up we gave TomTom a chance for a change and as usual he got it spot on. Just driving out through the town we spotted a couple we kept running into last year, Karen and Alan, who it appears were on the site we had just left although we had failed to spot them. They'd seen our van as we came in but hadn't made the connection. Obviously we stopped off for a chat for 15 mins before heading off; small world?

Lot of hilltop castles along the coast

Not being very far to Benidorm we avoided the autopista and instead kept to the N332 which more or less connects all the towns along the Costa Blanca and beyond. This means of course driving through them but it's far more interesting than just blatting along a motorway, and we're in no rush. In a reasonable time we started to notice the scenery becoming more and more touristy as we entered the outskirts of Benidorm.

Now being honest this is not the sort of place we would normally visit, but if you don't try it for yourself it's wrong to criticise and we did have a reason, i.e. to visit friends. As Villasol was not available to us, we tried the next suggested site, El Raco, just a short distance away. In fact there were several large campsites, all looking the same and all looking very busy. El Raco had just 5 pitches left out of over 700 – and none of them were particularly good, three in full shade, one in part shade although reasonably placed and one in full sun but right at the back of the site and next to a road. We chose the part shade and had to reverse along the access road as there was no way to turn and even then it was a very tight fit, but of course there were plenty of helpers!

We got settled in and enjoyed a very late lunch before having a quick explore – it's not very dog-friendly. The sun appeared round the tree for a couple of hours late afternoon but a strong cold wind from the north came up and chased us inside. Nevertheless we'll be okay and we've booked in for 4 nights - at €24.50 p.n. plus electric it's not cheap but this is a very popular area and we do have lots of extras. Plenty of Brits about and we've spotted a couple of Funster signs although we don't know them (yet!)

Obviously we're going to have a much better look around including at least one afternoon to visit the town itself, which is about 1km stroll away. We'll report back in due course!

Friday 13 January 2017

Segorbe to Tavernes - 90 miles (but a lot of messing about)

Another bright sunny day, cool at first but warming up to be most comfortable. Dog walkies, breakfast and service the van – we always do whenever there is an opportunity, especially when we don't know where we'll end up!

Today we're going to try to complete the two items on our must-do list, that is buy an ACSI card and wash Bertie! With the various caravan shops programmed into Nellie Bren navigated us to the first, which unsurprisingly we couldn't find – the address was a bit hit and miss though. Never mind, round the outskirts of Valencia with just a couple of wrong turns easily corrected and off into the back of beyond. And this time it was exactly where it was supposed to be and, more importantly, they had a stock of ACSI books! In Spanish we'll admit but the icons are universal and we'll keep the legend from the old book to refer to as necessary.

Not having made any decisions, we had just thought to drive south along the coast and see where we ended up. So back onto the autovia, to clear Valencia, and as it was lunchtime dropped off into the first service area, which just so happened to have a jet wash big enough to take Bertie. After €5 of washing, he was looking much better, not perfect but we can finish off with a damp microfibre cloth later. We also took the opportunity of refuelling before parking up for lunch. Mission accomplished!

With the sun still shining bright and warm we headed for the coast road with no particular destination in mind; this is how we usually operate, stopping tom check at around 4.00 pm if we haven't already found somewhere. This time Bren spotted a Campercontact flag on Nellie that didn't appear in any of our literature and as it seemed to be right on the coast we thought we'd have a look. Incidentally Campercontact is an excellent collection of parking areas for motorhomes, be they parking places, aires or full campsites. In this case the place was a commercial aire, a sort of halfway house between an aire and a campsite, usually with full facilities but not always in the best of locations, situated on the edge of Tavernes de la Validigna and next to the beach.

Pretty full with a variety of nationalities, the manageress told us off for arriving at lunchtime (it was 3.20 pm, well suppose that's lunchtime!) but pointed us into a pitch and told us to come to the office later with our passports. Had an explore, a cuppa then booked in - €8 per night is pretty good although there was no electricity (or swimming pool, but that's pushing it a bit........) before taking Jamie onto the beach for an hours run and play in the sea, which was quite rough. Have to say Tavernes is not the most attractive of places; the town centre looked fine as we came through but the beach is overshadowed (quite literally) by rows of somewhat shabby apartment blocks, although it is sandy and clean.

Back to Bertie for a snooze then tea and yet another quiet evening of nothing much. We're thinking of stopping off in Benidorm for a few days at a site (ACSI so discounted – hooray) where we know there is a biggish group of Funsters in residence. However we also know it's a popular place so may be out of luck, but have an alternative plan in mind.

Sorry, no photos today.

Thursday 12 January 2017

Peniscola to Segerbe - 102 miles

Awoke to another bright sunny morning but again cool until the sun had got properly up; then it got properly warm, at last! A little bit of packing away and service the van before breakfast then we were on our way by 11.00. We have enjoyed our stay but, without other means of transport, we could not imagine staying here for very long, even with well-discounted site fees.

So three targets today; shopping, get Bertie washed and buy an ACSI card. Having found several caravan dealers/accessory shops we've programmed them into Nellie and organised a route south that includes them. Meanwhile we'll keep an eye open for a decent supermarket and a lavado, but strangely they seemed to be lacking – on reflection we now recall we noticed this the first time we traversed this route, but northbound.

The next biggish place was Castello so we turned off and eventually picked up signs for a centro commercial but after driving round and round we were unable to find anywhere to park within reasonable walking distance. There was an underground car-park................ So back onto the route, which was now quite busy because the N340 we were following had merged with an autovia. The next town proper was Segunto but although it did appear a bit sleepy we found directions to an out-of-town centro commerciale and a nice big Carrefour with room for us.

Our first big shop of the trip, i.e. for almost everything, and once again we were amazed at how much we were able to cram into lockers etc. but that should keep us going for a little while. A late lunch before investigating a couple of lavados but they were either too small or jet-wash only which isn't enough given the state of Bertie. Nevertheless we might have to take that option.

Many hilltop castles - this is Segunto

Getting to mid-afternoon a check of the maps showed a decided lack of places to stop that would enable us to visit a caravan place, but there were a couple of aires inland up in the hills which looked okay and weren't too far away so we chose the nearest, at Segorbe. A quick sprint along an autovia took us to roadside parking bays in a quiet road on the edge of town near the station. A pleasant enough spot, marred only by the small park alongside being used as a dog loo – well it wasn't that bad but you watched where you were walking! We joined a few other vans and settled in – nice sunset.

Berties's STILL dirty

We have noticed that the weather is decidedly warmer here – as I write at 8.45 pm the temperature is 23 deg in the van and we've got the roof vents open. Yes it is cooler outside but still possible to go walkies in shirtsleeves! We see the UK is getting a bit chilly now – sorry folks!

Wednesday 11 January 2017

Warm enough last night so that we didn't need to leave the heating on, although it was still a bit chill until the sun got things warmed up. After breakfast serviced the van then got our stuff together for a walk into town – not really that far but we didn't know how long we would be.

The setting of Peniscola is said to be one of Spains most stunning; a heavily fortified promontory jutting out into the Mediterranean, zealously shielding its warren of alleys and lanes with perfectly preserved medieval walls. Contrast that with the thin line of high-rises straggling along the narrow but attractive beach in each direction.

Imposing view - the Castle's good too!

Sand sculptures

North beach

The castle, where parts of El Cid were filmed, was built on what was once a Phoenician settlement, later occupied by the Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans and Moorish. The castle itself was built by the Knights Templar and Pope Benedict XIII, known as Papa Luna, lived herer after being deposed from the papacy in 15thC. There are several references to Papa Luna around the town.

Of course at this time of year everything, and we mean everything is closed around the sea front except for the occasional small bar/cafe catering for the few locals. The main population lives a kilometre or so back from the coast. That said council workers were in evidence keeping the area spotlessly clean (and getting in the way of photographs!).

With nothing open and thus the thoughts of lunch out thwarted, we used the one cash machine and wandered back to Bertie giving Jamie the opportunity for a good run off his lead on the beach. There were signs saying dogs prohibited but nobody else seemed to be taking any notice!

Lunch and then a couple of hours relaxing in the warm sunshine, although a cool breeze off the sea chased us indoors later. We quite like Peniscola but don't think we could stay here for an extended period without some other form of transport.

We'll be moving on tomorrow.

Tuesday 10 January 2017

A cloudy day but feeling much warmer and the sun did make appearances throughout the day. Nothing much planned so after breakfast a few maintenance tasks on Bertie and a load of Jamies dirty bedding and towels in the wash – we'd had a few muddy days on the way south so took the opportunity while we had it.

After lunch we had thought to walk into town but were both still feeling a little tired so shelved that and instead Terry took Jamie for a nice long walk round the reed marshes out behind the campsite.

Then after tea we set up the TV to watch some recorded programmes – we've just started The Blacklist and are enjoying it (thanks Chris for the recommendation).

We'll try to make tomorrows post a bit more interesting!

Monday 9 January 2017

As he was up anyway, Terry took Jamie out at 6.45 in the hope we might get a bit of a lie-in – and yes he did go back to bed because it was still a bit parky, and dark!

But it worked so we had a leisurely start for a change before Bren took 10 days worth of washing, including bedding, to one of the large washing machines apparently just installed and got the lot done in one go. Dried properly too, all for the princely sum of €7 which we thought was good value. A little bit of cleaning too and by lunchtime we were done.

Then down to some serious relaxing in the sun. Admittedly the actual temperature was not very high, probably around 15 deg, but in the sun it was lovely. Chatted with another Brit couple who were full-timing in a caravan and were here for 6 months, and yes they love the place. Have to admit it is very pleasant and peaceful – there are two sections and we're on the northern site, the southern being a little larger and not quite as peaceful as it contains the entertainment etc.

But when the sun goes down it gets cold quickly so return inside for our afternoon cuppa, followed by nice hot showers and then tea. We had thought of going into the town but will probably leave it until tomorrow now. Still got a couple of maintenance jobs to do but, hey ho, we're having a break!

Sunday 8 January 2017

Alcover to Peniscola - 102 miles

Woken by Jamie at 08.10 announcing he wanted to go outside; unfortunately we weren't quick enough so we got a big wet patch on the carpet to clean up....... Knew we should have left the carpets at home!

But never mind it was a glorious morning with no frost, in fact it was almost warm and the sun was beating down out of a clear blue sky so we took advantage of the earlier start and, after breakfast and clearing up, we took Jamie for a walk into the town.

Alcover is a typical walled town with lots of narrow alleyways and tall buildings, but really had not much going for it so we returned to Bertie, emptied the waste tank and set off. We had almost reached our objective, the coast at Tarragona, so continued there before turning south west along the coast, just bumbling along now enjoying the warm sunshine with nothing really in mind except moving south.

Around lunchtime we turned off the main road to the small village of Alcanor, looking for somewhere to stop for an hour. It's not a big place and we ended up driving down what appeared to be a pedestrianised street – but we literally had nowhere else to go and anyway several cars followed us........ Managed to get out onto the seafront promenade and parked on the roadside next to the beach.

LOOK - Sunshine and palm trees!

We've been on the road for seven days now and are both ready for a few days break so we checked out the maps for somewhere suitable with full facilities as there's some washing to be done. About half an hour away is the town of Peniscola where we identified a number of campsites and aires. We made towards one candidate but discovered it was some way out of the town and the beach so tried another which was much better placed although somewhat more expensive. They had plenty of room so we found a nice pitch with full all-day sunshine and settled in. 

Mission accomplished!

Later we took Jamie for a walk along the seafront, noticing a sign saying no dogs on the beach – but it didn't appear to be stopping others though! Returned to Camping Eden (for that's what it's called) and having a mooch around met and chatted with some more Brits who had been here since October. Seems December was very wet and stormy but it's been fine since Christmas Day; long may it continue. But it was now getting cold as the sun set so return indoors for tea and another quiet evening, spoiled when Jamie had another “accident” despite us watching him – we just were not quick enough. Be glad when we can take him off the tablets!

We've paid for 4 nights which should be long enough to get ourselves sorted and relax for a while (€105 including the dog and a small “seniors” discount if you're interested. There's a swimming pool, sauna and cafe/bar open until 1800; the site restaurant is currently closed as are many around the area at this time of year). This is an ACSI site, that is, part of the ACSI discount scheme. Unfortunately our 2017 membership card and books had not arrived when we left and the receptionist would not take our 2016 card. We know it's possible to buy the ACSI card at some campsites so we'll have to look out for one - we would have saved €5 a night!

Saturday 7 January 2017

Oloron to Alcover - 212 miles

'Twas even colder last night and the waste drain tap froze. We also had to leave the heating on meaning the batteries took a bit of stick and also we used quite a bit of gas. However again it was a glorious morning and we got everything finished quite early for a change. But refilling the gas is becoming a priority and we have an app for the smartphone which shows where the nearest is – about 1km on the other side of town. TomTom found it of course and we had no problem this time.

Route today is through the Somport Tunnel into Spain and it was a lovely run up into the Pyrenees mountains on quite a small road, given it's importance, with a lot of narrow sections – fortunately it was very quiet. We had to stop halfway when the washer bottle ran dry and we needed to clean the windows to take photos of the super scenery. The tunnel itself was a non-event, just 8.5km of, well, tunnel. Popping out the other side into more fine scenery we joined a good road which became autovia (non-toll motorway)as we headed for Jacca then Huesca and Lleida. We could have chosen a lesser road but there wasn't much point, it still passed through the same scenery. But despite the brilliant sunshine it was still very cold as evidenced by the frosted over trees and bushes where the sun had yet to reach.

Around lunchtime we left the autovia looking for somewhere to stop and ended up in a tiny village square, not really suitable, and then had fun trying to extricate ourselves, not helped by a couple of lady Spanish car drivers who didn't seem to have a care about anybody else so that we had the occasional “breathe in” and squeeze past. Back to the main road and we found a fuel station with a picnic area adjacent so took the opportunity to refuel then break for lunch.

We had been plagued by one of the tyre pressure sensors occasionally telling us a tyre was deflating or inflating so Terry changed the battery – strange that this was the same one we had problems with in the summer, all the rest being fine. Hopefully we've fixed it.

Monasterio de El Pueyo

Back onto the road, joining the autovia again for a short while until we turned off for Tarragona, which was our aiming point on the Costa Dourada. As it was beginning to look like we'd run out of day Bren sorted a couple of aires out and we chose a car-park type spot in the walled town of Alcover. Although we did see a couple of other vans we ended up on our own, although the car park itself, the main one for the town, was quite busy throughout the evening.

We're almost on the Mediterranean coast now and it is noticeably warmer although we still need coats, even in the late sunshine, to walk the mutt – who is still demanding wee-wees every hour. The forecast for here is warmer days but still cold nights so we'll continue south.